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Common Knowledge

Canonical name: Sonnichsen, C. L.
Legal name: Sonnichsen, Charles Leland
Birthdate: 1901-09-20
Date of death: 1991-06-29
Gender: male
Nationality: USA
Places of residence: Fonda, Iowa, USA (birth)
Hancock, Minnesota, USA
Wadena, Minnesota, USA
El Paso, Texas, USA
Education: University of Minnesota
Harvard University
Occupations: professor
Organizations: University of Texas at El Paso
Journal of Arizona History
Awards and honors: Saddleman Award (1980)
Disambiguation notice: Full name: Charles Leland Sonnichsen

Members

Reviews

Judge Roy Bean: Law West of the Pecos by C. L. Sonnichsen

Originally published in 1942. Author was an English professor at the University of Texas. A good synthesis of the first hand written record and the recollections of witnesses still living in 1942.

Interesting mentions: Maromas (p.35), safety bicycle (p.126) and plug hat (p.162).

A mention of a screen door (p.126) got me interested in the etymology of those doors. Apparently Langtry was not that far behind the times.

Local places I could not locate: Meyers Canyon nor the Bridge there (p.118), Painted Cave (p.119), and Pump Canyon (p.128). The play "The Wicklow Postman" (p.167) does not appear on the internet.

Other places that figured in the biography: Eagle Pass (p.81), Fort Stockton (p.83), Sanderson (previously known as Strawbridge) (p.88), Vinegarroon (p.93), Devil's River (p.100),

Not all the books mentioned in the text make it into the bibliography: See the books mentioned on pages 93 and 113 ("Gun Notches").… (more)

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JoeHamilton | 1 other review | Aug 31, 2020 |

Roy Bean; law west of the Pecos by C. L. Sonnichsen

A highly enjoyable read about a questionable character. Sonnichsen pulls of the difficult task of writing in an erudite yet breezy style.

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gguida | 1 other review | Jul 19, 2020 |

Billy King's Tombstone by C.L. SONNICHSEN

A look at the Arizona mining town, with some references to the legendary and real Earp/Clanton gunfight. This is reasonably informative, and written clearly.

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DinadansFriend | May 17, 2014 |

From Hopalong to Hud : thoughts on Western fiction by C. L. Sonnichsen

I feel that this book was more about the movies than the books. It's not that I'm offended by what I'd call an editorial mistake as regards the sub-title. I found this survey interesting with some insights into how the genre interacts with its public, and me.

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DinadansFriend | Mar 1, 2014 |

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